


The Escort

by thecheekydragon



Series: The Escort [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur is a sweetie, Drunk!Merlin, Gwen is meddlesome, Hives, Lance is a potato, M/M, Merlin POV, Merlin is adorkable, Merlin should have fallen in love with Gwen, Modern AU, Will is a dick, bloody noses, break up woes, elite escort service, go green!, international intrigue actually, sex name faux pas, sneak!kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 03:42:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecheekydragon/pseuds/thecheekydragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his big break up with Will, Gwen convinces Merlin to hire an escort to accompany him to a banquet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Escort

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [El escolta](https://archiveofourown.org/works/803994) by [Jake91](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jake91/pseuds/Jake91)



> Originally posted to LJ on January 31, 2011.
> 
> Cover and scene art by the awesomely amazing [dudufactory](http://dudufactory.livejournal.com)!

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/thecheekydragon/pic/001xpa72/)

“No, no, no, no!”

“Come on, Merlin,” Gwen coaxed. “It’s been months since your big breakup with Will. You need to start dating again.”

Merlin gave her a sour look. “Hiring an escort to accompany me to a banquet hardly counts as ‘dating’.” He looked at Lance for support. Lance looked to his girlfriend. Merlin sighed. No help there.

The ‘big breakup’ Gwen was referring to had happened exactly two months and ten days ago, hardly _months_ as Gwen had put it. Until the BB - sometimes Gwen, who was his best friend and flatmate, referred to it this way – Merlin had been in a happy (at least that had been his perception) relationship with Will for almost two years. In fact, the day that Will had invited him over to ‘talk’, Merlin had been expecting Will to take the next step by asking him to move in with him. Instead Will had told him he wanted to see other people and wanted to try new things. It had been quite a devastating blow, not only to his ego, but to his heart as well. Merlin had been in love with Will.

To complicate things further, Merlin continued to see Will on a fairly regular basis, since they both worked for the same company. Albeit, Merlin was in R&D and Will in Marketing, but it was a relatively small branch of a larger corporation, so they often had need or occasion to interact.

Such as this banquet. Merlin would have been happy to bugger it off, but it so happened he was being honoured at this dinner, along with a few others, by the business community for developing and implementing “green” initiatives at his company, and he couldn’t very well tell the head honchos at the corporate head office that he wouldn’t attend.

Still, it meant another occasion in which he would likely have to endure close contact with Will, especially since Merlin knew Will never missed an opportunity to attend company functions and would probably take the opportunity to flaunt his newly acquired single status by bringing one of these ‘other people’ he so wanted to ‘try new things’ with.

Merlin refused to go solo. He had, of course, considered going with Gwen who, like Will, worked in Marketing and planned on attending the banquet, but figured that this would totally defeat the purpose of bringing a date to rub into his ex-boyfriend’s face. Merlin couldn’t think of anyone else to ask (Will knew Lance as Gwen’s boyfriend and the four of them had gone out together on numerous occasions, so asking Lance to stand as his date was out of the question) and Gwen had come up with the bright idea of hiring a professional escort.

“A professional what?” Merlin had asked. Even Lance had looked dubious.

“An escort,” Gwen had repeated, looking positively pleased with herself.

Merlin had frowned deeply. “Don’t you mean call girl or rent boy?” he had countered, shuddering at the thought of hiring a prostitute to accompany him to a dinner banquet. Gwen had finally lost her mind.

“No,” Gwen had said firmly, pursing her lips in disapproving censure. “I mean an _escort_. A person who _escorts_ you somewhere. On a date.”

“Oh,” Merlin had said. “You mean there really is such a thing?” Merlin had raised an eyebrow at Lance who, knowing when best to stay out of a conversation, had offered a mere shrug.

Gwen had narrowed her eyes at the both of them and had snapped, “Of course there is.”

Which was where they were at now – with Merlin emphatically expressing “No!” to the whole idea.

“Suit yourself,” Gwen said, handing Merlin an advertisement for a place of business claiming to be an Escort Service. “But if you don’t want to go to the banquet in which you’re being _honoured_ and will therefore be in the _spotlight_ and all _alone_...”

Merlin rolled his eyes but snatched the paper from her, ignoring Gwen’s brief but gloating grin.

**

Two days later, after Merlin had caught wind through water cooler gossip that Will was intending to bring a “vivacious blonde with an impressive rack” (Will had always claimed bisexuality, Merlin was just gay) as his date for the banquet, Merlin started to think that maybe Gwen’s idea wasn’t such a bad one after all.

So, this was why Merlin now found himself in a room at EES – Elite Escort Service – looking through a large binder of glossy eight by ten photos of prospective “escorts”, each with accompanying short bios and basic stats.

“He’s kind of cute,” Gwen remarked, pointing to a photo of a roguishly handsome man with wavy brown hair, a hint of a beard, and a knee-bending smile. 

Gwen and Lance had come along with Merlin – Gwen, mostly to “help” Merlin choose an appropriate escort and Lance because Gwen had told him to.

Merlin glanced at and read out the bio: “Gwaine Knight. Twenty-seven, five foot ten, model. Interests include rodeo riding, playing pool, competing in drinking contests, and general swashbuckling.”

“What kind of name is Gwaine?” Lance asked, offering his first verbal contribution since Gwen had brought up the whole escort thing. Merlin was thinking that someone whose birth name was really _Lancelot_ should probably not cast any stones.

“General _swashbuckling_?” squeaked Gwen, peering over Merlin’s shoulder to get a look at the bio herself.

Merlin chuckled. “Made that one up,” he admitted. “But I bet the man probably likes pickled eggs and you know I have an egg allergy.”

Neither Gwen nor Lance offered a rebuke. Merlin continued flipping through the binder.

There was Percy who, according to Lance, had “way too big of biceps to be natural”; Leon, who claimed to be twenty-five but looked more on the side of thirty, though they all conceded it could have just been the beard that made him look more mature; Edwin who purported to have an interest in the ‘Dark Arts’ and, according to Gwen, was “too creepy looking.”

There was Cedric, Jonas, Matthew, a guy named Cenred (whose full leather outfit was either meant to be fashionable or was an indication he was into hardcore S&M, they couldn’t be sure), and a few more others whose bios were read and photos assessed. None of them struck Merlin’s fancy. He wasn’t looking to find Mr. Perfect, but he was hoping to find someone he could at least expect to enjoy an evening with. Tired of looking, he slid the binder closer to Gwen, giving her the green light to have a go at it while he rested his head on the table.

Nearly five minutes went by before he heard Gwen squeal, “Wait! This guy’s perfect!” She shoved the binder at Merlin, rousing him from his brief nap.

The eight by ten showed a good-looking-in-a-quirky-kind-of-way blonde, who was not quite smiling but not quite frowning either. It was almost like a seductive smirk but one that wasn’t done purposely. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue and sparkled warmly, welcomingly.

“He likes backyard BBQs, hanging out with friends, and reading spy novels,” Gwen announced, her face animated excitedly. “You like spy novels, Merlin.”

“International intrigue,” Merlin clarified and not for the first time, but he wasn’t going to argue semantics. He glanced over the bio for himself. Not too young or too old. No hint of ostentatious swashbuckling, possible steroid use, fondness for the occult, or sadomasochist tendencies (or, alternatively, suspect fashion sense). And this guy was hot to boot. The mental bell sounded.

“What do you think, sweet?” Gwen asked her boyfriend because, clearly, Lance’s opinion of Merlin’s date-to-the-banquet mattered.

Lance murmured something that sounded like an approval and Gwen swept up the binder and carried it to the receptionist’s desk. Lance and Merlin followed.

“We’ll take this one!” Gwen told the woman excitedly. Merlin wondered when this had become a group decision (while also trying not to think that it sounded like they were picking out a puppy), but let Gwen lead on. It was always easier that way.

The woman, Mrs. Cuthbert, smiled. “Yes, Arthur Pendragon. He’s very popular with the ladies and the lads,” she commented. “Let me see if he’s available for the date requested.” She typed on her keyboard then squinted through her glasses at the screen. “You’re in luck. Looks like he’s available.”

After taking Merlin’s information down and accepting advance payment, Mrs. Cuthbert said to Merlin, “Mr. Pendragon will contact you in the next couple of days to get a few details about the event and to go over some ground rules.”

Ground rules? thought Merlin. He felt like he was entering some kind of duelling contest. Maybe he should have chosen the swashbuckler after all. 

Regardless, he had a date now for the banquet and wouldn’t feel like a moron showing up solo while his ex-boyfriend paraded around some new fling.

**

Although he had been expecting it, Merlin was still nevertheless unprepared when he got the call.

“Hello,” said the pleasant voice on the other end of his mobile. “Merlin?”

“Yes.”

“This is Arthur. Arthur Pendragon,” the voice identified. “I’m calling to confirm a date set for this Saturday.”

He had a nice voice. Silky. Smooth.

“What kind of event is it?” Arthur asked. “And how would you like me to dress?”

“Uh, it’s a banquet,” Merlin said, finally finding his voice. “And dress should be somewhere between formal black tie and business casual.” Honestly, Merlin had no clue about such things, but this is what Gwen had told him to say when Arthur asked.

“Sounds fun,” Arthur responded then, “Did Mrs. Cuthbert mention that we would review some basic grounds rules?”

Oh yeah, there were ground rules, Merlin remembered. “Yes,” he said.

“Good. My only policy is ‘no kissing, no touching’ on the date. It’s not _that_ kind of a service. If that’s what you’re looking for, I can put you in contact with a service I know of--”

“No, no,” Merlin said quickly, feeling the blush creeping up all the way from the depths of his toes. “I just want an escort for a company dinner I have to attend. That’s all.”

They made arrangements for Arthur to meet Merlin and Gwen at their shared flat where they would then take a taxi cab to the banquet hall.

“I’m looking forward to meeting you,” Arthur said in parting and he sounded genuine enough, but Merlin supposed it was his job to make his clients feel comfortable.

“Likewise,” he returned. As he pushed the button of his mobile off, Merlin couldn’t help but think: What had he gotten himself into?”

**

Gwen knotted his tie, a smile playing at her lips. “You’re not nervous, Merlin, are you?” she teased lightly.

“No,” Merlin answered. He was, of course. Nervous.

Knowing him as well as she did, Gwen wasn’t convinced. “There’s nothing to be nervous about,” she assured him, running her hand down to smooth out and straighten the now knotted black and purple tie. She leaned back to admire her handiwork and to give Merlin an appraising once over. “You look positively smashing,” she complimented then asked Lance, who was leaning against the breakfast bar watching them, “Don’t you think he looks gorgeous?” Lance uttered a dutiful “yes”. Gwen flashed Merlin a pearly white smile. “Will is going to wish he’d never given you up.”

Merlin’s retort was interrupted by a knock at the door of their flat. Lance, who was closest to the entrance, jumped up to answer it.

It was Merlin’s escort, of course, Arthur Pendragon. He must have assumed Lance was Merlin because, as he let Arthur in, Merlin heard Lance say, “That’s Merlin,” while gesturing with his hand over toward where Gwen was still fussing over his attire. 

Arthur Pendragon looked absolutely stunning. He wore a very well-fitted black suit, complemented by a cornflower blue dress shirt and simple royal blue silk tie. The colours made the blue of his eyes stand out and the golden highlights of his hair shine. It was hard not to stare at the sheer beauty of the man.

Arthur moved towards him and Merlin quickly cut his eyes away so as not to be accused of staring. He extended and shook Merlin’s hand. “Hi, Merlin. I’m Arthur,” he said, smiling.

Merlin felt his heart skip a beat.

“Hi,” Merlin returned as steadily as he could then introduced Gwen and Lance.

He could tell by the way Gwen looked and gushed at Arthur that she was instantly smitten. Lance appeared to be quite charmed by the escort too.

“Oh Will is most definitely going to be jealous of you,” Gwen proclaimed, linking her arm through Arthur’s.

“Gwen--”Merlin warned.

“Who’s Will?” Arthur asked curiously.

Gwen was quite forthcoming in telling him. “Will is the guy who dumped Merlin a couple of months ago who didn’t ever deserve Merlin in the first place.”

“Gwen!”

“Well, it’s true, Merlin,” Gwen said. “You are far too good for Will.”

Arthur was smiling and Merlin was blushing. He loved Gwen but could she ever just let things be?

Gwen told Arthur the whole sordid tale of Merlin and Will’s breakup on the taxi ride to the hall where the banquet was being held.

“Sorry about that,” Merlin said to Arthur as they exited the cab. 

Arthur chuckled. “Look on the bright side, mate. There’s no need to break the ice between us now.”

**

Cocktails were being served before dinner. Merlin tried to enjoy the pre-dinner gathering but his eyes kept darting to the entrance, vigilantly on the lookout for Will.

Gwen squeezed his hand for comfort. “Just relax,” she soothed.

“I am relaxed,” he told her. But, of course, he wasn’t. His mind and body were tensed up, waiting in nervous anticipation for his ex to show up. Two and a half months and Merlin still wasn’t over Will. 

“I’ll get him a glass of wine,” Arthur told Gwen helpfully and Merlin realized he had momentarily forgotten about having an escort. Surely, Arthur Pendragon would think he was a basket case.

Merlin had just started to feel himself unwind a little when he saw Will come through the doors, the “vivacious blonde with the impressive rack” on his arm. Like radar, he spotted Merlin milling in a corner with Gwen and Lance and ambled forward with gorgeous date in tow.

“Great. Just great,” Merlin mumbled miserably.

“You have your own sexy blonde, remember,” Gwen whispered back at him.

Yes, Merlin thought, but that sexy blonde had gone to fetch his neurotic date a glass of liquid courage, courage that Merlin desperately needed right now.

“Hello, Merlin. Hi, Gwen. Lance,” Will greeted amicably enough. “This is Vivian,” he introduced the voluptuous blonde to the three of them. Gwen and Lance cooed hellos. Merlin nodded.

Merlin felt a hand lightly touch his elbow. Arthur slid a wine glass into his hand. He smiled at Merlin then at Will and Vivian. “Hello,” he said and Merlin was struck by the incredible sexy silkiness of his voice. “I’m Arthur.”

Vivian perked up with feminine interest. Will forced a smile, his expression, however, belied an inner scowl. 

“This is Will and Vivian,” Gwen offered helpfully, attempting to ease the tension. 

Arthur nodded pleasantly. Vivian smiled brightly. Will looked Arthur over, critically assessing.

Merlin tipped the wine glass into his mouth and gulped back a good portion of the fine chardonnay. Within seconds, his cheeks flushed an alcohol-induced pink.

He saw Will smirk. “Better pace yourself, Merlin,” he counselled. “You know how tipsy you get when you drink wine.” And, with that advice imparted, Will took Vivian by the elbow and directed her toward the bar.

“So that’s Will,” Arthur remarked once the pair was gone.

Gwen nodded then kissed Merlin’s rosy cheek. “You did great, Merlin,” she assured him. “You made it through that awkward moment wonderfully.”

He had. With Arthur’s help. Having Arthur Pendragon as his escort for the evening was proving to be quite beneficial. At the very least, his nerves were less frayed and he had felt somewhat more confident in facing Will.

Unfortunately, that awkward moment wasn’t the only one to be faced during the evening. It turned out there was assigned seating for diner and someone had had the wisdom to place Will and his plus one at the dinner table, set for six, with Gwen and Lance, Merlin and Arthur.

Merlin would have liked to have had another glass of wine, but he didn’t want Will (who did know him very well) to comment any further on his inability to hold that particular form of liquor. He filled a glass with water instead and drank greedily. With any luck, maybe he could spend most of dinner in the loo.

Appetizer salads with balsamic vinaigrette were served first and Merlin picked through his greens, hoping conversation at the dinner table would be forsaken in favour of enjoying the meal. Thankfully, he got his wish. A few appreciative murmurs about tastiness aside, salad was enjoyed in relative silence.

Merlin was feeling rather optimistic about getting through dinner when the main course arrived – mushroom-stuffed chicken breasts served over creamy risotto with a side of steamed asparagus. He started to dig in, but Gwen put a hand on his arm. She caught the attention of the server and asked him, “Could you tell us if egg was used to prepare the rice or chicken?”

The server quirked an eyebrow. “I do not believe so, ma’am, but I can inquire in the kitchen, if you would like?”

“Would you please?” Gwen asked sweetly. The server smiled and then went off to the kitchen.

“Thanks,” Merlin mumbled gratefully to Gwen. He suffered from an egg allergy and often forgot that eggs were sometimes used in preparation of foods. If egg didn’t show itself visibly in a dish, Merlin didn’t much think about it. But thankfully Gwen did. Although his allergic reaction tended to be mild (hives mostly), any reaction would likely put a damper on the evening.

The server returned and announced the main dish egg-free, so Merlin felt he could now tuck in safely. Gwen had waited (as she usually did so that Merlin didn’t feel singled out) for the food to be cleared and also picked up her fork and started eating. Merlin appreciated Gwen’s vigilance on his health’s behalf, but he still felt embarrassed about having his dietary shortcomings revealed to Vivian and Arthur.

His hope of no dinner conversation ended after his second bite.

“So, Merlin, how did you and Arthur meet?” Vivian asked brightly, spearing a tender stalk of asparagus.

Merlin’s fork stopped abruptly on the way to his mouth. He had been dreading this question. Of course, someone was bound to ask the question. But did it _have_ to be someone who was with his ex-boyfriend, the ex-boyfriend who would find it highly amusing that Merlin had basically rented a date for the evening?

But before he could think of a polite way of saying that he and Arthur had just met and saying it in a way that would come across the least embarrassing for both of them, he heard Arthur say, “I bumped into Merlin at the bookstore.”

“Oh, how sweet!” Vivian gushed. Will snorted and, to be fair, Merlin did have to wonder what was so sweet about bumping into someone at a bookstore. 

“Bet he was buying more of those spy novels he likes to read,” Will grumbled and Merlin mentally bristled. Will had never appreciated Merlin’s taste in literature or his love of reading.

“International intrigue, actually,” Arthur corrected, giving Will a bright smile.

Will rolled his eyes and Gwen giggled beside him. Merlin suddenly found he was even more glad he had taken Gwen’s advice about hiring an escort.

Arthur and Merlin spent the next fifteen minutes over the main course explaining to a wide-eyed and interested Vivian the allure of the international intrigue (or “spy”) genre, while Will ate in silence, occasionally yawning in boredom.

After dessert and tea had been served around the table, Will looked to Arthur and asked suddenly, “So, Arthur, what is it that you do?”

“I’m pretty much a loafer,” Arthur answered easily, grinning. “But I moonlight as a consultant at a big corporation in London,” he added. “I figured I might as well put my MBA to some use.”

“A consultant,” Vivian cooed. “That sounds fascinating.” 

Merlin may have been mistaken but it looked like Will rolled his eyes at her. At this rate, his eyeballs were going to start to turn inside out.

And, Merlin noted, another point for Arthur, his mental grin spreading. This dinner was turning out to be wonderfully fun.

The “fun” started to slip away halfway through the obligatory speeches prior to the award presentation. Merlin felt the itchy welts forming on his chest, spreading up his neck. 

Hives.

Resisting the urge to scratch, he leaned toward Gwen and whispered, “I thought he said there was no egg in the main dish.” Dessert had been fresh fruit cocktail and so Merlin was reasonably certain there had been no egg in that, so it must have been the chicken or rice. 

Gwen’s eyes widened when she saw the red bumps wrecking havoc on his neck. “Oh my God, Merlin,” she whispered back fretfully. She grabbed and fumbled through her handbag. “I don’t think I have any anti-histamine in my bag.”

He could feel the hives growing in number and size on both his chest and neck. They were unbearably itchy and uncomfortable. He needed anti-histamine and some hydrocortisone cream. Gwen looked at him wide-eyed and helpless.

The award presentation had begun. Merlin knew he would be called up soon, but he couldn’t handle being thrust into the spotlight, a hundred pairs of eyes or so on him, with angry and itchy red splotches visibly peeking out from his collar on his neck.

He told Gwen, “You’ll have to accept the award for me.” Then he rushed off to find the nearest restroom.

In the loo, he wet some paper towel with cold water and pressed it against his neck. He had found that applying cold helped take some of the itch away. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his dress shirt, wet another wad of paper towels and applied the cold compress to the welts on his chest.

The restroom door opened and in stepped Arthur, his expression concerned but calm. He handed Merlin two caplets.

“Vivian had some anti-histamine in her purse,” he explained.

Merlin popped the caplets into his mouth, cupped a handful of water from the tap, and swallowed. “Thanks,” he told Arthur, feeling totally embarrassed. He looked ridiculous with his shirt open, ugly red splotches covering his chest and neck.

“Apparently, eggs were used in the mushroom stuffing mix,” Arthur said. He wet some more paper towels for Merlin and traded them for the used wads in his hands, which he threw into the trash bin. 

Merlin exhaled a sigh. “I bet Gwen took a piece out of someone,” he said.

Arthur smiled. “Actually, Gwen was busy getting your award so Will took up that fight.”

“He did?”

Arthur nodded. “He gave management and staff quite an earful.”

Merlin was impressed. Will was not shy about giving people a piece of his mind, but Merlin hadn’t expected him to take up on his behalf. He tossed the makeshift compresses into the trash, buttoned up his shirt, and loosely re-knotted his tie. It wouldn’t take long for the anti-histamine to kick in, but Merlin felt the evening was pretty much now done for him.

“Would you mind if we cut out of here early?” he asked Arthur.

Arthur shook his head and smiled. “I think we’ve reached the highlight of the evening,” he said. “Let’s collect your award and tell Gwen we’re taking a cab back to your flat.” He waved a hand at Merlin’s neck. “You probably can’t wait to put something on those hives. They look terribly itchy.”

At the table, Gwen cooed concern over Merlin and asked if he wanted her and Lance to come back to the flat with him.

“I’ll make sure he gets home safely,” Arthur promised.

Merlin asked Gwen to express his regrets to the appropriate parties, took his award plaque, and allowed Gwen to plant a peck on his cheek before mouthing “thank you” to Vivian and giving Will a sincere appreciative nod. Will may no longer be his boyfriend but at least he still cared enough to give the banquet staff a good tongue-lashing.

They said little on the cab ride back to Merlin’s flat. Merlin did some mental exercises to help take his mind off the itching. Arthur kept an eye on the route while intermittently glancing sidelong at Merlin, checking his status.

When the cabbie pulled up in front of Merlin’s building, Arthur made to get out but Merlin stopped him, saying “You might as well go on from here.” He wasn’t about to make his first-time date suffer through the ritual of him spreading hydrocortisone cream all over his body.

“Are you sure?” Arthur asked kindly.

Merlin nodded. “You were great tonight, Arthur. Thanks.” He grimaced. “Even if I was probably the lamest date ever.”

“Not lame at all,” Arthur said and smiled. “In fact, it would be my pleasure to escort you anywhere anytime, Merlin.”

Merlin knew it was the professional escort talking but it still made him smile inside to hear Arthur say he wasn’t that lame of a date.

Merlin let himself into his flat and went immediately into the bathroom. He stripped down to his boxers, took the tube of hydrocortisone cream out of the medicine cabinet, and began coating his chest and neck with the topical ointment. He then carried his clothes to his room, pulled on a t-shirt and crawled into bed. It was still early but Merlin figured he had put in a full evening.

All in all, he thought, breaking-out-in-hives notwithstanding, he had made it through the banquet okay. His escort had dazzled those Merlin had wanted to dazzle and had made Merlin appear like he was completely over Will, even if he wasn’t. Arthur Pendragon was not only good-looking but sharp-witted (his quick quips had been lifesavers) and Merlin had felt comfortable with him, had enjoyed his company. He was pretty sure Will had been mildly jealous (bonus points) or, at the very least, slightly annoyed (still bonus points) that Merlin had showed up with a date – and one that had rivalled (if had not beaten out) his ex’s own date.

Merlin sank his head back into his pillow, already feeling the anti-histamine and hydrocortisone cream working. The evening had not been perfect but it hadn’t been a complete disaster either, even if he hadn’t been able to accept the award he was given because he had been in the loo applying cold compresses to his hive outbreak.

Fifteen minutes later, as he drifted off to sleep, a thought struck him: He had forgotten his award plaque on the seat of the taxi cab. Damn.

**

It was Monday morning. Merlin was in his office, at his desk, pouring over a preliminary report that had all its Is dotted and Ts crossed but, for some reason, the numbers didn’t quite add up (he was currently trying to trace where the starting error had been made) when he heard a soft rap at his open door.

Still concentrating, he didn’t bother to look up and mumbled “c’m in” around the pencil he held between his teeth.

“Well, you certainly look busy,” a silky smooth voice said, a hint of amusement behind the words.

Merlin looked up to see Arthur Pendragon leaning against the door frame of his office, a tilted smile on his face. Merlin dropped the pencil from his mouth and, somewhat self-consciously, reached up to pat down any stray tufts of hair that might have been sticking out of place.

“Arthur,” he acknowledged, hoping his voice didn’t sound as squeaky as it seemed. “What brings you here?”

Arthur moved off the door frame and crossed to the desk. He handed Merlin his award plaque. “You left this behind in the cab,” he said. “I was out of town yesterday or I would have dropped it by your flat. I happened to be in the neighbourhood this morning so I thought I’d stop by your work instead and return it.”

“Thank you,” Merlin said. “That’s...That was really nice.” He had been about to ask Arthur how he knew where Merlin worked but remembered that Arthur had been at the banquet. Besides, the name of his company was written right on the plaque underneath Merlin’s name.

“I see you’ve recovered nicely,” Arthur observed, eyeing Merlin’s neck.

“Yeah,” Merlin said. Arthur’s attentive gaze caused a flush now to begin creeping up his neck. “Some anti-histamine and hydrocortisone and the hives are pretty much gone in a couple of hours,” he rambled. Merlin figured he would probably go down in Arthur’s dating book as the “Weird Guy Who Got Hives”. 

“That’s good,” Arthur commented. He fidgeted slightly, looking as though he were contemplating whether he was now obligated to stay a few minutes or whether it would be okay to just go. 

“Thanks again,” Merlin said, holding up the plaque, feeling awkward. He wanted to invite Arthur out for coffee or something, to thank him for going out of his way to return his award, but he didn’t know if it was appropriate given Arthur’s work as an escort-for-hire.

Arthur gave him a smile. “No problem.” 

Merlin watched as Arthur turned to leave and headed out of his office, running smack into Will who had chosen that moment to burst through his door. Arthur stepped to the side to allow Will to pass through, gave Merlin another quick parting smile, and then went on his good-samaritan way.

Will followed Arthur’s retreat from Merlin’s office with a steady gaze then turned his attention to Merlin. 

“What are you doing here, Will?” Merlin asked, his nerves on edge. “I wasn’t aware that the Marketing Department got moved to the R&D floor.”

Will huffed out a sigh. “Gwen comes up to see you all the time,” he pointed out then, “I just wanted to check on how you were doing. I know you sometimes get a really bad outbreak.”

“I’m fine,” Merlin told him, his voice clipped. “But you could have saved yourself a trip up and just asked Gwen.” 

Merlin knew he wasn’t being very nice but it was such a struggle for him to go on interacting with Will as though nothing had happened between them – no intimate relationship, no heart-wrenching break up. Will may be over him but Merlin was not yet over Will. And though it seemed that Will wanted them to be friends, trying to redefine their relationship in terms of friendship was absolute hell on Merlin’s heart.

“Merlin...”

“Really, Will, I’m fine,” he said more gently. “It was a run-of-the-mill outbreak. Easily cured.”

Will nodded and went to leave. He stopped just outside the door, turned and said, “I didn’t get the chance to tell you the other night but congratulations on the award. You really deserve it.”

“Thanks,” Merlin mumbled. Thankfully, Will was already on his way gone so that he didn’t see the blush that spread across Merlin’s cheeks. 

**

Merlin was starting to feel more at ease with Will’s regular visits to the R&D floor – regular in the that they occurred with about the same frequency as when he and Will had been dating – and felt that perhaps this was a sign that he was finally getting over the man he had been in love with for more than two years. That is, until he became aware that the reason Will was making regular trips two floors up from Marketing was so that he could chat up one of R&D’s new interns – a young fellow by the name of Tad.

Merlin made this discovery one day on his way back from the loo. As he passed by the copy room on his way to his office, he caught sight of his ex engaged in an intimate conversation with the attractive young intern, a conversation that involved Will’s hands on the other man’s hips and their mouths pressed together. From the looks of it, Merlin figured Tad wasn’t getting much copying done.

Merlin scuttled quickly past the copy room – neither man had taken notice of him – and found sanctuary in his office. He sank down into his desk chair and took slow, deep breaths in an effort to stave off hyperventilation.

Will had broken up with Merlin because he wanted to see other people and try new things. Tad definitely qualified as “other people” but Merlin wouldn’t have said Will’s seduction of the intern constituted a “new thing”. He and Will had gotten together in much the same way – Will making frequent visits to R&D, chatting up Merlin, asking him out for coffee, then dinner, then drinks and other things. There had been no kissing in the copy room (okay, so that was new) but essentially Will’s wooing pattern had been the same.

What bothered Merlin (and was the reason he was on the cusp of hyperventilating) was that he could see himself in Tad. Merlin, of course, was a few years older and had a good permanent position in Research and Development, but there were definite similarities. Except that Tad was younger and way better-looking. And this made the intern very much a rival.

Merlin hadn’t felt that way about Will’s banquet date Vivian. He had felt awkward but not threatened. For one, Vivian was a woman. To a gay man, even one who had dated someone who identified as bisexual, women just didn’t present the same kind of threat as men. And for another, Vivian had had no connection to his (their) place of work. But Tad...

For Merlin, it was like being replaced by a younger, newer, better model. It was stupid, he knew, to feel this way, but he honestly could not help himself. It hurt.

A moment later, Will stuck his head in Merlin’s door as he passed by his office and called out a cheerful hello, which Merlin chose to ignore under the pretence of concentrating on some documents in front of him. He sat at his desk, feeling numb, contemplating whether he should put a call into the manager of Marketing to let him know one of his employees seemed to be lost. Instead, he called his own manager and told her he was not feeling well and was sent home to recuperate. 

Merlin then spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch in his flat, sulking in front of the television, and getting as drunk as possible.

**

Merlin usually enjoyed the annual company picnic but he wasn’t looking forward to it this year. In fact, he had pretty much decided to skip it, but Gwen was determined to convince him otherwise.

“You have to go, Merlin,” she said. “I need you there.”

“You’ll have Lance,” he reminded her. She always had Lance.

“But you had so much fun the last couple of years,” she tried again.

Merlin tossed a sardonic look her way. “That’s because I was with Will,” he told her. “Now I’m not. And, call me crazy, but I don’t want to have to find out who’s replacing me.” Like Tad, he thought bitterly.

“Merlin...”

“I know – I need to get over him. But it’s just not that easy, Gwen.”

“Maybe you could see if Arthur could go with you,” Gwen suggested. “He seemed like a nice guy and Will was definitely bothered seeing him with you.”

“Maybe,” Merlin considered. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to drag Arthur Pendragon to another function where his role was to act as a buffer between Merlin and his ex-boyfriend, but going to the picnic with someone was definitely better than not going at all and having Will think he was hiding from him. 

“Sounds like fun,” Arthur said when Merlin called to find out if he would be able to accompany him to the company picnic.

“Yeah, that’s what you said the last time,” Merlin responded, “and I ended up with hives, remember?”

Arthur chuckled. “So long as you stay away from any stray eggs, it’ll be all good.”

Merlin promised he would.

**

Arthur had suggested that Merlin catch a ride with Gwen and Lance and that he would meet Merlin and his friends at Sunnyside Park, where the company picnic was being held.  
Apparently, Arthur had another engagement afterward, so it made the most sense for him to go on from there.

Merlin saw Arthur waiting for them by the park entrance when Lance pulled into the car park area. He was dressed casually, as Merlin had advised him, in jeans and a long-sleeved white t-shirt. Even dressed down, Arthur Pendragon was a knockout.

They carried their picnic contributions through the park to the spot Merlin and Gwen’s co-workers had chosen to gather for their afternoon feast and fun. Most of Merlin’s R&D co-workers were already there, setting up camp, including his manager Kara Kilgarrah who waved a friendly hello at them.

“Glad you’re here, love,” she said cheerfully and continued to designate tasks to those around her in the same efficient way she did at work. “Put any food on that table over there,” she directed them. “Burgers are already on the grill and the first batch should be ready in about ten.”

Gwen had Lance dutifully carry their salad and dessert contributions to the table Kara had indicated. Although Gwen’s Marketing co-workers were set up just a few spots over, it had always been Gwen’s custom to hang with Merlin and the R&D bunch at the company picnic. The reason for this, she had explained, was that she saw her marketing co-workers every day and thought it would be good to mix things up a bit. Of course, Merlin refrained from pointing out that Gwen lived with him and saw him every day too – morning to night – so there wasn’t much “mixing up” on that score. Still, he didn’t really mind that Gwen (and Lance by proxy) liked hanging out with him. The two years that they had dated, Will had migrated to picnicking with the R&D group also. Apparently, R&D was the fun group of the bunch.

Thinking of Will, Merlin glanced over at the Marketing group and saw his ex, flipping burgers at one of the BBQ grills. No surprise there. Will liked to grill. And it was no surprise also to see the young R&D intern Tad hovering next to him, sharing laughs. Something in Merlin’s gut tightened.

His attention was pulled back by the sound of Kara’s voice. He hadn’t caught what she had said, but he saw his manager eyeing Arthur with interest.

Arthur gifted her with one of his dazzling smiles. “I’m Merlin’s friend – Arthur,” he said, introducing himself.

Kara looked to Merlin and raised her eyebrows. No doubt she had already translated “friend” into “boyfriend” and Merlin couldn’t very well correct her assumption, could he? 

She reached out and shook Arthur’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Merlin’s friend Arthur,” Kara said, smiling, then resumed her delegating tasks. “And don’t anyone throw out the plastic ware when you’re done,” Kara told the group, setting an empty box on the end of one of the tables. “Put it all in here. Or Merlin will have a right fit.” 

“He’s probably already got a plan to recycle the used ware into a new green-line product,” one of his coworkers joked. 

“Ha, ha,” Merlin said good-naturedly. He saw Arthur grin and hoped he didn’t think Merlin was too much of a complete and utter dork.

Merlin joined Arthur in line at one of the grill stations to claim a burger for lunch. He really would have preferred a burger from Will’s station – Will grilled the best burgers, just the way Merlin liked them – but he didn’t think he could stomach the awkwardness that would entail so he had reluctantly chosen a co-workers station, hoping Joe had hidden talents.

When it was his turn, Arthur nonchalantly inquired about the use of eggs in preparation of the burger patties and Merlin felt himself blush. Arthur was told by Merlin’s co-worker that the burgers were indeed egg-free but Arthur prodded, “You’re absolutely certain?”

Joe nodded. Arthur eyed him suspiciously for a fraction of a minute before allowing Merlin to be served a burger from the grill. Merlin might have blushed at the inquiry, but he appreciated Arthur’s conscientious attention to his health, even if it was probably for his own benefit to not have to see Merlin break out in hives again.

Merlin and Arthur fixed their burgers and loaded their plates with a variety of salads – Merlin choosing only the salads prepared by Gwen because he knew for sure there were no eggs in them – then joined Gwen and Lance at a picnic table with Kara and Jerry. 

The group munched and conversed idly, avoiding any excessive talk of work, though Kara did ask Arthur what his consulting job entailed. Arthur told her he specialized in international communications and was called in by the CEO of Camelot Industries to help broker deals and temper negotiations with foreign companies. 

“Impressive,” Kara said, and Merlin saw his manager wink at him from under her eyelashes. Arthur Pendragon had clearly charmed another one.

“It keeps me busy,” Arthur said, flashing a smile that would have swept any woman (along with Merlin) off her feet.

When they finished their lunches, Arthur took Merlin’s fork and knife and dutifully placed them in the box with his own. Merlin had noticed Arthur grin each time one of his co-workers had tossed their plastic ware into the box as they had been directed, many of them winking at Merlin as they did so. As it just so happened, Merlin did have a plan for the discarded plastic ware but he wasn’t going to share it with anybody just yet. He knew when to be a total nerd and when it was best to let that side of him stay under the surface.

Will had apparently gone around and collected the plastic ware used by his Marketing co-workers and was now depositing the utensils into the box designated by Merlin’s manager. “I know the drill,” Will said to Kara, flicking a glance at Merlin.

It looked to Merlin like Will was going to retreat back to the Marketing group but he ended up hanging around for a bit, chatting with Merlin’s co-worker Jerry.

“Fancy a game of football?” Will asked suddenly, surprising Merlin.

Merlin half-shook his head. “I don’t think so...”

“Come on, Merlin,” Will coaxed, grinning at him in that way Merlin found hard to resist.

Merlin looked to Arthur, who lifted his shoulder in response. “I’m game,” he said.

Of course, Arthur had to be game.

“Alright,” Merlin said to Will.

“ _American_ football,” Will clarified, looking smug. Merlin knew Will had a fascination for American-style football.

“That works,” Arthur replied and Merlin saw some of the smugness fall from Will’s expression. He supposed Will hadn’t counted on Arthur taking up the challenge so eagerly. “Three on three?” He looked to Lance. “You in?” 

Lance looked at Gwen, who shrugged, then nodded at Arthur.

Merlin felt his knees grow weak. It was true that he was not much of a European footy player but he knew next to nothing about American-style football – except that the ball wasn’t round and that you tossed and carried rather than kicked it. 

Arthur tapped him on the shoulder and winked at him. “Just follow our lead, Merlin.” 

So it was three-on-three light tackle American-style football (Will had conveniently brought a ball with him): Will, Tad, and Jerry against Merlin, Arthur, and Lance.

Arthur gave Merlin and Lance a brief rundown of the basics of American-style football – passing, catching, scoring and what constituted “light tackle”, though Merlin didn’t think he’d be tackling anyone. He’d have a hard enough time just avoiding being tackled.

Will was a hardy athlete and it turned out Tad was athletically gifted as well. Jerry wasn’t any couch potato either. Both Arthur and Lance were natural athletes, but they had the less skilled and adept Merlin to contend with on their side, which made the teams somewhat unequal.

Merlin’s team fared okay with Arthur and Lance using their natural talents to compensate for Merlin’s lack of skilled athleticism, but Will’s team still managed to get ahead by a mile. Will crooned and danced in victory every time they scored and Merlin tried very hard not to notice the way Will patted Tad’s backside whenever the intern scored a “touchdown”.

“Sorry about that,” Merlin apologized to Lance and Arthur again after fumbling the ball for about the millionth time.

Arthur ruffled the top of his hair. “Can’t catch them all, Merlin,” he said, smiling.

“I’d like to catch _one_ ,” Merlin grumbled under his breath and Arthur chuckled.

“This time you need to go long,” Arthur coached him. “As soon as you catch the ball from my pass, just run toward the goal line. You’re quick and wily and they won’t be able to catch you.” 

Merlin snorted. “ _If_ I catch the ball,” he said, not feeling very confident.

Arthur winked at him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll catch it.”

So Merlin ran a stretch as Arthur had instructed him and then set himself up to catch the pass. He saw the ball leave Arthur’s hands, spiralling toward him. His peripheral vision caught Will leaping to intercept, but Merlin held his ground, hoping the ball would fly past and fall into hands. As luck would have it, Will missed the ball but his body ploughed hard into Merlin, his elbow catching Merlin’s nose smartly, knocking both of them to the ground. 

Will rolled off of Merlin, grunting, and Merlin resisted the urge to smack him upside the head. Instead, he put a hand to his stinging nose, dismayed to feel blood gushing from it. “Ow,” he whined.

Tad offered a hand to help him sit up. He looked at Merlin’s face and said, “That’s nasty.”

Arthur knelt on the ground in front of him. He pulled Merlin’s hand away from his bleeding nose, saying, “Let me see.” His face scrunched up in assessment. “That is nasty,” he confirmed. 

Arthur asked Lance to get some napkins then directed Merlin to hang his head forward. Blood dripped from his nose like an open faucet and, for a moment, Merlin thought he might actually pass out. Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb to try and stop the bleeding.

“It looks worse than it actually is,” Arthur tried to reassure him, maintaining pressure on his nose. Merlin was aware of the crowd hovering around them – Will, Tad, Jerry and Gwen – each with varying degrees of worry on their faces. Arthur continued to tend to him, smiling with reassurance. Merlin had never felt more ridiculous in his life.

Lance returned with a wad of napkins and gave them over to Arthur. Arthur took his fingers from Merlin’s nose and used the napkins to mop up the blood. Blood was splattered all over Merlin’s shirt and jeans. And, even more distressing, Merlin saw that Arthur had a fair amount of his blood on his long-sleeved white t-shirt.

Arthur managed to stop the bleeding and announced that at least Merlin’s nose “wasn’t broken” but recommended that Merlin get checked by a qualified physician nevertheless. He helped Merlin to his feet and suggested the game break, conceding victory to Will’s team. Then, Merlin in tow with napkins still pressed to his nostrils, Arthur helped Lance and Gwen gather their picnic items and carry them out to the car. He then made sure Merlin got safely tucked away into Lance’s car.

“Well, Merlin,” Arthur said, an amused smile on his handsome face. “You certainly don’t disappoint.”

Merlin gestured at Arthur’s blood-soiled shirt with deep apology. “I’m really sorry,” he said.

Arthur looked down at his shirt as if it was the first time he noticed that Merlin’s blood was splattered all over it. He gave a crooked smile and shrugged. “No big deal. I’ll have time to slip home and change it. Just take care, Merlin.”

He really was too nice, Merlin thought, feeling more deeply depressed by the moment.

First date – hives. Second date – bloody nose from hell. He was zero for two on the Arthur Pendragon dating scoreboard. Merlin was sure the only compensatory factor for Arthur in this whole horrid deal was that he was getting paid. Even so, if he were Arthur he would pass the next time Merlin asked him to escort him anywhere.

**

Feeling bad about ruining Arthur’s shirt by bleeding all over it, Merlin went out and bought a new shirt to replace it. And, although it was a ‘guilt’ purchase and there was nothing whatsoever to it, Merlin had to admit it felt good picking out clothing again to give to someone else. Half of Will’s wardrobe was owing to Merlin’s gift-giving.

Merlin left the replacement shirt for Arthur with Mrs. Cuthbert at EES. Mrs. Cuthbert raised a questioning eyebrow at him and Merlin felt his cheeks redden. He supposed he should explain about the bloody nose and soiled shirt, but somehow that seemed more awkward than letting Mrs. Cuthbert come up with her own imagined scenario as to why Merlin would leave such a gift for one of the escorts.

The next evening Merlin got a call from Arthur on his mobile.

“Thanks for the shirt, Merlin,” Arthur said. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, I figured I had, you know, ruined yours with my blood and all...” he replied, feeling awkward about it now. “Anyway, I hope it’s your style.” Heat spread across his cheekbones.

“It’s exactly my style,” Arthur said and Merlin could almost hear him smiling.

Merlin was glad. He had spent a good three hours looking for the perfect shirt. What he ended up finding was a long-sleeved crew neck t-shirt made of organic cotton in a shade of light blue. The selling point (besides the colour which he thought would nicely complement Arthur’s eyes and, of course, that it was made from organic materials) was that it was super-soft, a shirt that someone could snuggle into. And Merlin may have spent a bit more than he would have on a shirt for himself, but after what he had put the man through on two dates, Merlin figured Arthur deserved it.

They chatted about this and that and, for a brief moment, Merlin forgot that Arthur was a professional escort who had accompanied him on two ‘dates’. It felt to him like they were just two friends who made a habit of calling each other and talking about the day. Merlin had to admit it felt nice. He missed the closeness he had shared with Will and the easy conversations they had had.

But this ‘friendship’ with Arthur really wasn’t. So, with heavy reluctance, Merlin finally bid Arthur goodbye. Arthur cheerily did the same. And even though Arthur invited Merlin to “call him anytime”, Merlin knew he should not hold out any expectation that Arthur would call _him_ again. 

**

“Just so you know,” Will informed him, looking smug, as he passed through the door of Merlin’s office. “Your new boyfriend? He’s a player. Saw him out in the last week with two different girls.”

“Gee, Will, you sound almost jealous,” Merlin retorted dryly.

“And what would I have to be jealous about?”

Merlin glared at Will from under his eyelashes then let it go. He shrugged a slender shoulder. “Arthur can go out with whoever he wants,” Merlin told Will. “It’s an open relationship.” Well, Merlin thought, it was “open” but “relationship” may have been stretching it a bit.

“Open, is it?” Will said, disbelieving.

“Maybe you’re just annoyed because you’re starting to feel smothered by your new boy-toy,” Merlin replied back. He hadn’t intended to be mean but he also didn’t like the idea of Will thinking Merlin had a new boyfriend who was gallivanting around town cheating on him.

“Tad is just a friend.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really.” He could do disbelieving just as well as Will could. 

Will stared him down for about a minute then said, “Just watch yourself with him, Merlin. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Like you already hurt me? Merlin thought as Will turned and sauntered out of his office.

**

It had been Gwen’s idea that he accept the invitation to Will’s birthday bash even though Merlin would have rather stayed home to find different items with which to creatively poke his eyes out.

“You can’t _not_ show up to your ex’s birthday party,” she had chastised him. “Especially when he so obviously and purposely _invited_ you.”

“Why not?” Merlin had wanted to know. He had thought it was a good question to ask her since Gwen conveniently had other plans with Lance for the date in question and could legitimately express her regrets and leave Merlin to climb into the proverbial Lion’s Den all on his own.

Gwen had rolled her eyes at him. “Because,” she had explained as though he were a five year old who had difficulty comprehending the simplest of things. “Of course, Will _invited_ you because he _expects_ you not to show up. That’s what ex-boyfriends who did the breaking up _do_. So you need to turn this around and do the unexpected – go to Will’s party.”

Merlin had looked to Lance for some validation that what Gwen was saying made any sort of sense but, true to form, Lance had only shrugged, either not willing to commit or simply because he had absolutely no clue as to the soundness of his girlfriend’s advice concerning breakup protocol.

“So I should go to Will’s party because although he invited me, he really doesn’t expect me to show up?” Merlin had tried to clarify, feeling a headache coming on.

“Exactly,” Gwen had replied, flashing him a confident knowing smile.

Merlin had looked to Lance once again, had received another shrug, and then had retreated to his bedroom to think the whole thing out. In the end, he had decided to follow Gwen’s cockamamie advice and go to Will’s birthday party. But he had no intentions of going alone.

He had rung Elite Escort Service to find out if Arthur was available for the date of the party and had discovered that he was, and so Merlin had promptly booked him for the engagement. He had been relieved and had felt much more confident about being able to brave a birthday party for his ex knowing Arthur would be along with him. Plus, Merlin had to admit, he wouldn’t much mind seeing Arthur Pendragon again.

So, this was the reason why he was waiting outside his flat building, gift bag in hand (one thing Merlin knew Will never minded getting was a bottle of whisky – cheap or otherwise), plucking nervously at his shirt, when Arthur pulled up in a sleek and shiny red sports car.

“Nice car,” Merlin expressed appreciatively as he buckled himself into the passenger seat. “The escort business must pay pretty well.” Had he really just said that? He felt the heat spread over his cheekbones.

Arthur chuckled. “It pays decently,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t hurt to come from a family with old money either,” he added for clarification, giving Merlin a wink.

Merlin’s blush grew in intensity. “Oh.”

Arthur gifted him with a truly brilliant smile. “Where to?” he asked.

Merlin gave him Will’s address. Once they were on their way, and his blush finally settled down, Merlin said, “I really appreciate you coming with me to this party. I’m completely mad for taking Gwen’s advice but she seems to think this will be good for me.” He rolled his eyes and Arthur huffed out a laugh. “It’s quite possible, of course, that this will turn out to be the worst evening of my life.”

“Nah,” Arthur replied supportively. “It’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” Another brilliant smile was directed at Merlin.

As Arthur concentrated on driving, Merlin took the opportunity to give him an appreciative once over through surreptitious sidelong glances. It was no surprise that Arthur looked amazing. He wore a dark blue dress shirt with silver pinstripes over top a pair of casual jeans. His blond hair was styled, purposely messed to look casual but fashionable. His teeth were blindingly white and his blue eyes positively sparkled.

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/thecheekydragon/pic/001xh2p0/)

Merlin swallowed. Arthur Pendragon was hot, gorgeous. Even if Will had already moved past Merlin, Merlin would bet that Arthur would garner enough attention as his date to make his ex feel just a tiny pang of envy. So, maybe Gwen was right that he needed to do this in order to move on.

Will greeted them at the door when Merlin rang the bell.

“Merlin!” Will said over the din of the sizeable crowd already gathered in his flat. “I’m so glad you came.”

Will stretched his arms out as if intending to envelope him in an embrace. Merlin pushed the gift bag into the space between them. “Happy birthday,” he said, focusing on keeping his voice from faltering.

Will grabbed a hold of the gift bag saying, “Thanks.” He motioned for them to come in and Merlin could not help but notice the glare and frown Will tossed Arthur’s way.

“Hello, Will,” Arthur greeted amicably, returning Will’s frown with a dazzling smile.

Will’s eyes narrowed. “You’re Merlin’s friend,” he murmured, feigning sudden recognition. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”

They all knew very well that Will remembered Arthur’s name, but they played the game anyway.

“It’s a difficult name to remember,” Arthur pretended to acknowledge. “Arthur. Arthur Pendragon.”

Will nodded. “Of course,” he returned tightly. Then, in an about-face, he smiled brightly at both of them. “Well, enjoy the party!” He tapped the gift bag knowingly. “I think I’ll start nipping into this. It is my birthday, after all.” He winked at Merlin. “Share a shot with me?”

Merlin shook his head. “You know I’m not much of a whisky drinker,” he said. 

Will grinned. “Merlin’s just afraid he’ll get tipsy,” he said to Arthur.

The blush started to creep up Merlin’s neck but he willed it down. “Okay then,” he told Will, raising his chin up a notch. “I’ll share a birthday shot with you.” He was not going to let Will best him.

In the kitchen, Will opened the bottle of whisky Merlin had given him and poured out three generous shot glasses full.

“Cheers to me,” Will said, raising his glass. He knocked back the amber liquid in one easy swallow.

Arthur did the same. Merlin had to drink his in two parts and coughed both times as the liquor burned down his throat. 

Will roared out a guffaw. He put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder and grinned. “Still a lightweight, hey Merlin?” 

Of course he was still a “lightweight”, Merlin thought, suddenly feeling surly. It was not as though he and Will had broken up years ago – it had been less than four months! Or did Will expect Merlin to be out “trying new things” like he was.

Will buggered off to mingle with his guests, leaving Merlin and Arthur behind in the kitchen. Merlin grabbed each of them a beer from the well-stocked fridge and led Arthur out into the crowd in the living room, hoping to blend in. As he sipped his beer, he wondered how long they had to stay for it to be considered polite.

Some co-worker friends of Will’s said a cheerful hello to Merlin, though he thought he detected a note of surprise in their voices. A few couples who Merlin knew as friends of Will’s – had been friends of _his_ four months ago – nodded in acknowledgement, but none of them approached Merlin. They did, however, slide curious glances at Arthur and then put their heads together to whisper. 

And despite Arthur’s soothing presence, Merlin felt horribly awkward. He was the dumped boyfriend at the dumper’s birthday party. How lame was that? The only thing that saved it from being the lamest was that Tad-the-intern hadn’t showed up to the party yet.

He excused himself from Arthur and sought out the bathroom, easily navigating his way through the crowd toward the familiar spot. He found it occupied so he ventured into Will’s bedroom where he knew he would find a second en suite bath. He locked himself in, quickly relieved his bladder, washed his hands thoroughly, and then splashed a bit of cold water on his face, hoping to take some of the awkward edge off.

He didn’t know what force compelled him, but Merlin found himself opening up the medicine cabinet and taking stock of the contents inside, noting the familiar brand of toothpaste Will liked to use and the bottle of his favourite cologne – the one Merlin had given him at Christmas – now almost empty. He resisted the urge to take a sniff and closed the cabinet instead, feeling suddenly heavy-hearted.

He had shared this bathroom with Will just a few months ago, his own preferred brand of toothpaste next to Will’s in the medicine cabinet, along with a toothbrush and dental floss. Will had kept a tube of hydrocortisone cream in there in the event Merlin broke out in hives and had never failed to have anti-histamine on hand. Merlin had seen the tube and package tucked away in the corner on the top shelf of the cabinet, no longer needed.

This space was so familiar yet so foreign, just like the room beyond it, where Merlin had shared Will’s bed on many, many nights. Everything was the same but somehow so different. Because Merlin was no longer an integral part of this space, a space he had spent a lot of time in over the span of two years. A space he thought Will had been going to ask him to move into. But Merlin had been cast out of this space and out of Will’s life in favour of something new and supposedly better.

He left the bathroom, keeping his eyes averted from Will’s bed, knowing the blankets would be in a messy heap because Will never made his bed (the only time it had ever gotten made was when Merlin had stayed the night) and moved to rejoin Arthur.

As Merlin attempted to cross the crowded room back toward Arthur, Will caught him by the arm and pulled him out onto the balcony.

“I’m so glad you came tonight, Merlin,” Will expressed, seeming to turn on the charm.

Merlin said nothing, not sure where this was going.

Will raked his eyes over Merlin’s body with knowing appreciation. ““Fuck, you look sexy tonight,” he lilted.

“Will...”

“What? I can’t pay you a compliment?” Will said. “On my birthday?”

“You’ve been drinking,” Merlin pointed out.

“So?”

“So now is not the time.”

Will moved in and placed a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. He stared into Merlin’s eyes with intensity.

“I miss you,” he said.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Will asked softly, moving his head in. He swept his lips across Merlin’s.

“Don’t do this,” Merlin told him, pulling away. His body was shaking. “I can’t--” Merlin felt torn apart emotionally and Will kissing him was not helping matters. “I should get back...” he said, gesturing inside.

“To Golden Boy?” Will replied caustically. 

“His name is Arthur.”

“Whatever. He’ll only break your heart, Merlin.”

Merlin huffed out a sigh. “It’s already been broken,” he said.

“Merlin...”

Merlin quickly escaped back inside. He spotted Arthur and crossed the room toward him. Arthur’s mouth turned up into a smile when he saw him but it seemed to Merlin that his smile slowly faded as he saw Will coming in from the balcony behind him.

“Everything alright?” Arthur asked him.

“Yeah,” Merlin answered. “Got a bit of a headache coming on, that’s all. If you don’t mind, we should probably go soon.”

Arthur shook his head. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Fifteen minutes later, Merlin told Arthur he was ready to leave. He decided to forego party pleasantries and didn’t bother to seek the host out to bid farewell, but Will ended up catching them at the door nevertheless.

“What? You’re not leaving already, are you?”

Merlin nodded but it was Arthur who spoke. “Merlin’s got a headache.”

“Does he now?” Will said, swaying slightly. He appeared to be much drunker than he was fifteen minutes ago. “It’s probably ‘cause he can’t hold his liquor,” Will professed. Then he leaned forward and leered, “But, Christ, is he one helluva good fuck when he’s smashed.”

Merlin’s face seared with heat. “Will!” 

It was Arthur who now leaned in toward Will and with a purposeful sly grin, he announced, “I know.”

Will’s eyes grew wide and he appeared to genuinely sputter. Merlin guessed Will had been so sure that he and Arthur were not already shagging that he had felt safe to try and embarrass Merlin. Well, Arthur had turned that one around and it left Merlin blushing more profusely than he had been before.

“It was nice seeing you again, Will,” Arthur continued, still smiling. “And happy birthday.”

They left Will standing there with his mouth hanging open.

“Sorry about that,” Arthur apologized to Merlin once the door had closed behind them and they started to descend the stairs. “But Will kind of forced me into it by trying to embarrass you,” he explained. “Still, I didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries.”

“It’s okay,” Merlin assured him, grinning. The look on Will’s face had been priceless. Match, set, point to Arthur once again.

“It’s still pretty early,” Arthur said when they pulled up in front of Merlin’s building. “Is there something else you want to do? I’ve got the evening free.”

Merlin didn’t really feel like going out anywhere, but he didn’t want to lose Arthur’s company just yet either.

“You can come up if you want,” Merlin invited boldly. “Though I should warn you -- all I’ve got to offer is a cold diet Pepsi, maybe some tortillas and salsa, and an xbox.”

Arthur’s eyebrows perked up. “Got Halo?”

“Yeah.” 

Arthur grinned. “It’s on then,” he challenged.

**

They polished off a bag of whole wheat organic tortilla chips with a half a jar of salsa and two diet Pepsis each, while they battled aliens and levelled up. 

Arthur was just helping Merlin clean up and getting ready to leave when Gwen returned from her night out with Lance.

“Home already? How was the party?” she asked, looking from Merlin to Arthur then back to Merlin.

“Dull,” Merlin said, hoping Gwen would spare him the grilling for more details while Arthur was still there.

“Yawningly boring,” Arthur added, making Merlin smile.

“No hives?” Gwen asked.

“Not a one,” Arthur answered.

“Bloody nose?”

Merlin shook his head.

“A twisted ankle?” she pushed further. Merlin glared at her.

“Nope, but I may have sprained my thumb beating the pants off Merlin at Halo,” Arthur said cheekily, gifting Gwen with that winsome smile of his.

Gwen returned the smile and made her way into the kitchen as Merlin led Arthur to the door.

“Night, Merlin,” Arthur said in parting. “Give me a call if you’ve got another party to go to – dull or otherwise.”

“Oh, I will,” Merlin teased back. “And then I’ll whip your butt at Halo.”

Arthur just grinned at him and left.

“So?” Gwen asked as soon as Merlin closed the door behind Arthur.

“So, what?”

“What happened at the party? Was Will surprised to see you show up? Did he seem jealous when he saw you brought Arthur?” 

Gwen looked eager to hear the details but Merlin figured a short summary would suffice. 

“No, he was not surprised to see me. He was a dick to Arthur so probably that means he was jealous. He told me I looked sexy and kissed me on the balcony. And then he told Arthur I was a good fuck when I was drunk.”

Gwen’s mouth flapped like a fish. “What?”

Merlin sighed. “It was awkward, Gwen. I shouldn’t have gone,” he said. “Being in his flat brought up too many memories and now I’m confused as hell as to what Will wants.”

“Poor baby,” Gwen sympathized, touching a hand to his cheek to soothe him. “I hate Will for hurting you, Merlin. But I know you loved him and you probably still love him. I’m sorry for telling you it was a good idea to go to his birthday party.” She gave him a small smile. “I just don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

Merlin kissed Gwen’s cheek. “I know,” he said to his best friend. “I guess I’m going to have to try and work this out on my own.”

**

“Merlin, we really need to talk.”

Merlin was surprised but not that surprised to find Will calling him the evening after the big birthday bash.

“We do?” 

“Yes,” Will said on a sigh. “We didn’t exactly hash things out when we broke up.”

Merlin refrained from commenting that there hadn’t been the opportunity to ‘hash out’ anything. Will had simply told him that he wanted to move in a different direction and that had been that.

Instead, he said, and with only mild cynicism, “So now you want to talk.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.” Another sigh. “Look, can we just meet somewhere and talk about things between us?”

Merlin considered for a moment. He wanted to talk to Will. He had wanted to talk to Will about things between them four months ago. But he also wanted to play it safe – he was still nursing a seriously broken heart.

“Okay,” he agreed. “But it’ll have to wait till the end of the week. Friday evening okay?”

“Yeah,” Will said, sounding relieved. “Yeah, Friday sounds good.”

**

Merlin had suggested that they meet at a local club not far from either one’s flat, feeling he would be more comfortable (translate: less likely to break down) if they met on neutral grounds. The club was often hopping on a Friday night but it was still relatively early and they could easily slip into a booth in the corner and actually have a conversation while the fun went on around them.

Merlin sat at the bar and ordered a drink while he waited for Will. He positioned himself so he could scan the club, always finding it interesting to ‘people watch.’

After about ten minutes of idle scanning, his eyes came to rest on a blond, well-built man who was accompanying a pretty girl of about eighteen or nineteen. Arthur.

As if he could sense he had been spotted, Arthur suddenly looked toward the bar, spying Merlin. Feeling as though he had been caught staring, Merlin gave a little wave, and then gulped back a quarter of his drink.

Merlin was surprised to see Arthur wade through the crowd and cross over to the bar where he was sitting, pretty girl in tow.

“Hey Merlin,” he greeted. “Fancy seeing you here. You alone?”

“Meeting somebody,” Merlin replied quickly, not wanting Arthur to think he trolled the club scene solo. For some reason, he didn’t bother to divulge that he was meeting Will.

“Ah,” Arthur acknowledged, smiling. He introduced the girl. “This is Sophie. It’s her birthday. She and her girlfriends are kicking it up tonight.”

“Hello, Sophie,” Merlin said. “Happy birthday. I’m Merlin.” Merlin could tell from the way Arthur had spoken that he was on an escort job, but Arthur’s natural smoothness made it impossible for Sophie to know that Merlin knew this.

Sophie smiled brightly at him. She really was pretty and if Merlin was of that persuasion, he was sure he would have tried to get into her panties. He wondered if Arthur would try but then remembered his policy of “no kissing, no touching”. Or maybe that only applied to male clients?

Arthur flagged the bartender and asked him to make up six drinks of “something strong and fruity” to be sent over to the booth Sophie and her girlfriends were now occupying. 

Merlin grinned at him. “Have fun,” he said, nodding toward the group of giggling girls.

Arthur returned the grin and with a manly salute, he left the bar and joined the harem.

Merlin slyly watched Arthur interacting with the girls as he sipped his drink and waited for Will to show up. Arthur, of course, looked gorgeous in a white button down and casual black blazer. Sophie and her friends looked completely charmed by him and who could blame them? 

Arthur Pendragon could charm the scales off a snake. Merlin knew that first hand.

Where the hell was Will?

He had just taken a sip out of his second drink when he got the text from Will: _Something came up. Can’t make it. Sorry._

He couldn’t fucking believe it.

Merlin shoved his phone into his jeans pocket and knocked back half of his drink. He should’ve known he couldn’t trust Will to come through. He had already broken his heart once. Why not twist the knife in a little more?

“Date stand you up?”

Merlin glanced up to see Arthur leaning against the bar next to him.

“Can’t make it,” Merlin said, downing the last of his drink.

“Too bad,” Arthur sympathized. He jerked his head toward the group of girls. “Sophie wants you to come and join her party.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Arthur said with a grin. “Her friends all want to buy you a drink.”

Why the hell not? Merlin thought, getting up off the bar stool and following Arthur. He figured he could use a few more drinks.

Sophie and her friends welcomed him into the group with warm hugs, lipstick kisses on his cheek, and a whole lot of girly giggles. True to Arthur’s word, each of the six girls, including the birthday girl Sophie, insisted on buying him a drink and Merlin soon found his sorrows drowned in a happy haze of liquor.

He tossed back everything that was set in front of him – brightly coloured fruity drinks, amber and cola drinks, shots of various combinations and colours. And the girls just kept buying. Arthur was just as guilty. He not only encouraged them but paid for quite a few of those drinks.

Three of the girls were draped all over him, giggling. 

“Gawd, Merlin, you’re so cute!” the redhead with the long legs and dusting of freckles – Tawny, he thought, but his memory was very cloudy – gushed at him. She was so close Merlin could practically feel her lips on his ear.

“Thanks,” he replied, feeling quite giddy. “I’m also very gay.”

This elicited a frenzy of giggles from the girls, who apparently didn’t mind a bit that he was not a contender for taking home and shagging.

Needless to say, the evening went by in a blurry haze. Merlin had had quite a bit to drink and was decidedly drunk, though he was far too drunk to be able to trust his own assessment of that.

Arthur grabbed a hold of his arm and hauled him up to his feet. “Time to go,” he said with a congenial prod of his elbow in Merlin’s ribs. “Come on, Merlin, I’ll drop you home.”

Arthur was challenged with the task of ushering both Sophie and Merlin out of the club and into his car, while trying to keep both of them steady on their feet. Somehow he managed and Merlin found himself being gently shoved into the cozy backseat of Arthur’s sports car, Sophie following behind him. Arthur slid behind the wheel, buckled himself in, and drove off.

Sophie was practically in his lap, her body draped all over him.

“Arthur’s s’hot, isn’t he,” she slurred. Merlin could feel her breath on his neck and could smell the cornucopia of alcohol blends emanating from her pores.

“V’ry hot,” Merlin agreed.

“I was the luckiest girl having Arthur as my date tonight.”

“Mmm...V’ry lucky. But it is your birthday,” Merlin pointed out.

“I’d die to get a birthday kiss from him,” she professed. “But he doesn’t allow that,” she confided with a loud whisper in Merlin’s ear.

“Boo,” Merlin commented sympathetically. At least he had his answer, though Merlin couldn’t remember what the question had been. 

“My girlfriends _loved_ you, Merlin,” Sophie gushed at him. “You’re so cute. Isn’t he cute, Arthur?”

He heard a chuckle come from the driver’s seat. “Yeah, he is cute.”

So Arthur thought he was cute, did he?

Arthur pulled up in front of a house that was apparently Sophie’s and helped Sophie out of the car, telling Merlin to “stay put”. 

Sophie kissed his cheek and offered cheerily, “Bye, Merlin!”

Arthur poked his head into the back seat and said, “I’ll be right back, Merlin.”

And he was. Or so it seemed that way to Merlin, though he may have passed out for a minute or two.

They stood at the door of Merlin’s flat, Merlin teetering, Arthur trying to keep him steady.

“Keys?” Arthur asked.

“Pocket,” Merlin answered but made no move to extract them. It was far too complicated of a task and would surely wreck his tenuous balance.

Arthur reached into Merlin’s jeans pocket, pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. He pulled Merlin inside and then guided him to the couch. 

Merlin started to flop down but then, on drunken impulse, he caught Arthur’s mouth with his, pressing his lips against Arthur’s for a brief pleasurable moment, taking in the wonderful feel and taste of him.

Merlin pulled back quickly, his head swimming. “Sorry,” he slurred, hardly able to form coherent words. “I just wanted to know what it’d feel like to kiss you. I know I’m not supposed to do that – when you’re on a job, that is.” The liquor was messing with his mind and he was barely aware of what he was even saying. “Not that you’re on a job with me. At least not tonight, I mean. But...Oh, hell! I’m so drunk! I don’t know what the fuck I’m saying.” Merlin stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes. “Just sorry, is all.”

He heard the slight huff of a chuckle and Arthur saying, “It’s okay, Merlin.” He felt him pat his shoulder. “Time to sleep it off, mate.”

That was the last thing Merlin remembered before his mind succumbed to darkness.

**

He forced open a bleary bloodshot eye to see Gwen, perched on the edge of the coffee table, staring at him.

She handed him a packet with two pills and a glass of water. “Arthur left these,” she said. “And a note.” She pushed a sheet of paper under his nose.

Merlin leaned back and focused hard on the words: _Gwen – Please give these to Merlin when he wakes up and have him text me so I know he’s okay. Arthur_

Under Gwen’s scrutinizing stare, Merlin opened the packet, tossed the tablets into his mouth, and swallowed a gulp of water. Then he pulled his mobile from his jeans pocket, punched in Arthur’s number and thumbed in a simple text: _I’m ok. Thx._

A mere ten seconds passed before he received a text reply: _Good :)_

Merlin smiled. He wasn’t sure why, but a pleasant warmth spread through his chest. His head hurt like hell, but his heart felt warm and toasty.

“Oh, Merlin, no!”

“What?” God, his head ached. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a hangover like this.

“You’re in love with Arthur.” The way Gwen said this made it both a statement and a scolding.

“What? No. Why...? Merlin could barely form a coherent response.

Gwen pinched her brows and pursed her lips. “You most certainly are in love with him. I know that look.”

“Look, Gwen, you wanted me to get over Will....” Merlin attempted but was cut off abruptly.

“Arthur is an escort!” Gwen proclaimed as if he needed reminding.

“I know, Gwen!” Merlin returned, his head aching even more now. He did not want to have this conversation with Gwen. Right now he didn’t know how he felt about anything or anybody. “None of this is your business anyway!” he said more harshly than he had intended.

Gwen looked slightly taken aback, but she said gently, “I care about you, Merlin. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I know Arthur is an escort. I know nothing can ever happen between us. I know I can’t have him. But I also can’t help these feelings I have. So you’re just gonna have to let me sort them on my own. Okay?”

“And Will?”

Merlin shrugged. “There’s some sorting out I need to do there too.” He grimaced at her. “How’d my love life get so screwed up anyway?”

Gwen smiled softly. “Well, if you’d just fallen in love with me from the start, none of this would have happened.”

“True. But there’s no way Lance would be able to function without you telling him what to do, so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t,” he teased.

Gwen narrowed her eyes at him and then smacked him upside the head. 

**

Merlin’s hangover headache had nearly dissipated by early evening when Will showed up at his flat, full of apologies for not showing the night before.

“Look, I’m sorry for being a prick and standing you up last night, Merlin,” Will began. “But Becky had a serious asthma attack and mum needed me to take her to emergency care.

Becky was Will’s younger sister who was fifteen or sixteen. She had asthma and was prone to having some very serious attacks that could not always be alleviated with an inhaler. Will’s mother was a nervous wreck of a woman who went into panic mode whenever her daughter suffered a serious attack. Merlin understood that Will had really needed to be there for his sister and mother.

For a minute, Merlin almost felt guilty about having had so much fun with Sophie and her friends – and Arthur, of course – the night before when Will had probably spent the better part of the evening in emergency care at the hospital. Merlin especially tried not to think about how soft Arthur’s lips had been when Merlin had stolen a kiss from him before passing out on the couch.

They were now seated together on the couch and Merlin realized that they were going to have that conversation about “us” whether he was prepared for it or not. Gwen had escaped to her room shortly after Merlin had let Will in and so it left the two of them, alone, to talk.

Will started things off. “I know I hurt you, Merlin,” he said. “And I am really sorry about that. I was too selfish to realize that you’re the only one I’ve ever had such deep feelings for.” His voice cracked but he continued strongly, “Seeing you with that Pendragon bloke makes me all kinds of jealous...”

“We’re just friends, Will,” Merlin said, though he didn’t know why he felt compelled to explain his relationship with Arthur. 

Will gazed softly at him. “I haven’t let go of my feelings for you. I still love you, Merlin. I want to try things over again with you.”

These were the words Merlin had wanted to hear from Will two months ago – that Will still loved him and wanted to get back together. But Merlin was still feeling the hurt from the breakup and was afraid to expose himself to that kind of hurt again.

“I don’t know, Will...” he said, feeling his eyes fill with pent up emotion.

“Please, Merlin,” Will said, and there was emotional urgency in his voice. “Just think about it. I don’t want to give up on us just yet.”

In the end, Merlin was taken with Will’s intensity and plea that he promised that he would think about giving their relationship another try. Will had hurt him deeply and, for Merlin, it boiled down to whether he believed he could trust Will again after having been so thoroughly wounded.

After Will was gone, Gwen came out of her room and folded herself onto the couch next to Merlin, hugging and snuggling up against his side.

“He wants to try things between us again,” Merlin divulged with Gwen prodding.

“Is that what you want, Merlin?” Gwen asked softly.

Merlin shook his head. “I don’t know, Gwen,” he said. “I really don’t know.”

Merlin hadn’t been aware that the tears had pooled up in his eyes until a traitorous hot drop splashed his cheek. He didn’t bother wiping them away but just let them fall silently, as Gwen wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. 

**

Merlin dialled Arthur’s mobile phone number. He needed to talk to someone – someone who wasn’t Gwen.

“Hello,” he heard Arthur answer and almost snapped the phone shut. Arthur had said he could call anytime, but Merlin was sure he had meant to arrange a “date”, not to hang out and talk.

“Uh, Arthur? It’s Merlin,” he said quickly before he lost his nerve.

“Hey Merlin,” Arthur greeted jovially. Maybe he was out on a job.

“I know it’s kinda late,” Merlin continued, “and you’re probably already busy, but can we meet somewhere? Just to talk?” Merlin squinted his eyes, thinking how ridiculous it sounded.

“Uh, sure,” Arthur said pleasantly. “Coffee shop at the corner of Milne okay? In, say, about twenty minutes?”

“Yeah, sure,” Merlin replied, relieved. He wondered how much it would cost for about an hour of Arthur’s time, but he was too embarrassed to ask over the phone. “See you in about twenty.”

Arthur was already seated at a table next to the big window when Merlin arrived. Merlin slipped into the booth, pleasantly surprised to see Arthur wearing the shirt Merlin had bought him – the oh-so-soft one that highlighted the gorgeous blue of Arthur’s eyes and was positively made for snuggling into. Somehow it made Merlin feel warm and cozy just thinking about it. 

A flush crept into Merlin’s cheeks. “Look, I didn’t want to ask you over the phone but...” Merlin paused momentarily. “I’m wondering...I mean, is there like an hourly rate your service goes by or is it a one-shot deal? Either way, I’ll pay the fee.” He hoped it didn’t sound as awkward to Arthur as it had just sounded to him.

Merlin was surprised to see a rosiness spread over Arthur’s cheeks, which he quickly attempted to hide with a chuckle – a sexy, husky chuckle that nearly drove Merlin crazy. This had probably been a bad idea, he decided.

“Merlin, you don’t have to hire me as an escort to sit in a coffee shop and talk a while,” Arthur said. “I’d like to think we’re kind of friends.”

“Oh,” Merlin said. “Okay.” He liked that Arthur thought of them as friends, even if he wished they could be more than that.

They placed orders for coffee (Arthur) and cappuccino (Merlin) and took sips of their hot brews as soon as the mugs were set down in front of them.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Arthur asked, smiling.

Merlin rimmed his mug with a finger. “Will wants to get back together,” he said, not seeing any reason for building up to the announcement.

Arthur raised his eyebrows but his expression remained neutral. He took a sip of his coffee then said, “And how do you feel about that?”

Merlin shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “He hurt me. And that’s hard to forget. He seems genuinely sorry and wants to fix things between us. God knows I was never over him and I’ve definitely missed him. He says he still loves me and I guess I still love him...”

Arthur sipped his coffee and simply listened without offering any judgment and Merlin continued.

“I don’t know what to do, Arthur. I’m so confused right now. I was just getting used to Will and I not being together and now he wants to get back together. I’m afraid of getting hurt again but I don’t want to miss the chance of reforming a relationship that might be the one that’s meant to be.” 

Arthur looked thoughtful for a long minute then said, “I know you’re afraid you might get hurt again, but if you really still love him, Merlin, then you should probably give it another try.”

“Yeah,” Merlin said, not feeling any better even though Arthur’s words made sense.

“You don’t want to end up living with regrets,” Arthur said further, “or have to wonder about the ‘what ifs’.”

“Yeah.” Merlin couldn’t disagree. 

They drank their coffees in silence for a while, happy just to be in each other’s company. Merlin was grateful for the newly formed friendship he had found with Arthur and that he could talk to him about things that mattered in the same way he could talk to Gwen.

“Thanks, Arthur,” Merlin expressed, leaving some notes to cover the bill as he got up from the table.

Arthur gifted him with a friendly smile. “No problem, Merlin. Glad I could help.”

Merlin left the coffee shop with a better sense of what he should do. Arthur’s advice had validated his own instincts. He should be happy and comforted that his decision was the right one.

But then why did his heart feel so heavy, as if he had been told something he hadn’t really wanted to hear?

**

Merlin had wanted to start slowly so he could regain some of the trust he had lost through the breakup, but they were both healthy young men who had certain urges and so they found themselves quickly falling back into their old pattern. At first, they indulged in deep kissing and groping but that soon segued into more intimate things.

In fact, on this evening, Will had come over to Merlin’s flat right after work and they were holed up in Merlin’s bedroom with the intent of becoming physically reacquainted.

Merlin closed his eyes as Will nuzzled his jaw and neck with his nose and mouth, feeling the familiar excitement starting to build. His lips were warm and soft on his skin, sensually caressing with each kiss and nip. Merlin’s spine tingled as lips moved to his chest, raking a path across, tongue stopping to lick each nipple.

Arthur’s mouth felt so good on his body. Merlin didn’t ever want it to stop.

His tongue trailed down his chest, swirling around his belly button, making Merlin shudder in anticipation. He felt Arthur’s fingers tug at his jeans and Merlin lifted his hips in response, his hardening cock straining against denim. Arthur managed to undo his jeans, freeing his erection, and now pressed those warm, sumptuous lips to his crotch.

“Mmm...Arthur,” he breathed out as lips and tongue smoothed over his cockhead.

Will stiffened and Merlin was suddenly aware of his blunder in subconsciously working through his fantasy. Will jumped off the bed, his face red with shock and anger.

“Fuck, Merlin!” Will spat out. “Arthur?”

Merlin sat up, quickly tucking his softening member back into his jeans. How careless of him to let his mind drift to fantasizing about Arthur like that! And with Will.

“Will...” he started to explain but suddenly realized he didn’t know what he could possibly say to explain that away.

“I thought you said you were just friends with Pendragon,” Will accused, pulling on his discarded shirt then yanking the door to Merlin’s room open.

“I am,” Merlin said, following Will out into the living room, unmindful that his jeans were still undone and that he was shirtless. “I mean, we are. Just friends, that is.”

Will fixed him with a disbelieving look, as he slipped on his trainers. “Makes me wonder how many guys you were thinking about when we were together.”

“You broke up with me, Will, remember?” Merlin returned angrily. “Said you wanted to try out new things and new people.”

“Oh, don’t try and make this about me now, Merlin,” Will said. “I never buggered up by calling you by some other bloke’s name.” 

“Will....” Merlin tried again but stopped when Will put his hand up.

“By the way, you’d better tighten the leash on your new boyfriend,” he told Merlin. “I don’t want Pendragon threatening to pummel me again if I don’t do right by you.”

Merlin raised his eyebrows. Arthur had threatened Will?

“And just so we’re crystal clear here,” Will said as he headed for the door. “You and me – we’re done.” 

Will slammed the door behind him as he stormed out. Merlin raked a hand through his hair. Gwen was standing in the small kitchen, staring at him, having obviously witnessed the whole dramatic scene.

“Don’t,” he warned her. “Just don’t.” 

**

The fallout from his and Will’s second “break up” wasn’t nearly as bad as Merlin thought it could have been. At work, Will mostly avoided him now and that was surprisingly okay with Merlin. And Merlin had come to realize that, although he had been in love with Will at one time, he wasn’t still in love with him and he had, in fact, gotten over him. 

Merlin kept himself busy and, though he would eventually get back into the dating game, he decided that he was not in any great hurry. There was someone out there for him and Merlin would find him when the time was right. A genuine clique, but Merlin had to believe it.

He was relaxing on the couch, idly playing video games, when the knock came at his flat door. Gwen was out with Lance and Merlin couldn’t fathom who would call on either one of them at this time of the evening.

Merlin opened the door to find Arthur Pendragon on the other side. 

“Arthur,” Merlin acknowledged, taken somewhat by surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Arthur made a congenial grimace. “Gwen told me I should come.”

“Gwen?” How convenient, Merlin thought, that Gwen should be absent at this moment to avoid his death stare. He motioned for Arthur to come in.

“Yes,” Arthur murmured, reflecting. “Gwen seems to think that we should talk about our relationship.”

“Our relationship?” Merlin was now even more surprised. 

Arthur nodded. “She thinks it’s more complicated than either of us cares to admit.”

Merlin couldn’t argue that point. From his own perspective, his “relationship” with Arthur was, indeed, very complicated. 

They sat down on opposite ends on the couch. Silence at first, then Merlin commented, feeling awkward, “So you threatened Will.”

Arthur chuckled. “I wouldn’t say ‘threatened’. It was more like I impressed upon him that he had better not screw with your feelings or I would beat him senseless.”

It was Merlin’s turn to chuckle. “Hmm. Impressed upon him, did you?”

They both fell silent once more, neither of them willing to bring up what needed to be addressed.

After several agonizing minutes, Arthur finally spoke. “Are you in love with me, Merlin?”

Merlin got up off the couch, holding back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. “Did Gwen say I am?” he half-teased, cursing Gwen for sticking her well-meaning nose into his affairs of the heart.

“Yes and no,” Arthur responded, getting up off the couch himself. “She may have hinted about ‘feelings’ you might have towards me.” Arthur’s blue eyes tried to make contact with Merlin’s, but Merlin kept his gaze averted. “ _Are_ you in love with me, Merlin?” he asked again.

Merlin huffed out a sigh. “What difference would it make if I said I was,” he told Arthur. “I can’t have you.”

“Merlin...” Arthur started, but Merlin cut him off.

“What, Arthur? Are you going to tell me you’re suddenly gay and in love with me too?” Merlin chided, feeling completely vulnerable and exposed. He didn’t want to have this conversation. It was making his heart tear bit by bit.

“Well, I don’t know about the gay part,” Arthur said, “but I think I might on the second thing.”

Merlin looked up at him, his eyes cynical. “Spare me, Arthur. Don’t tell me something you think I want to hear. It only hurts more.”

Arthur threw up his hands. “I’m not telling you anything, Merlin! It’s how I feel. ” He stepped closer to Merlin and Merlin was surprised to see raw emotion in Arthur’s blue eyes. “I think about you all the time. I like spending time with you. I care about how you feel and what happens to you.” He set his mouth firmly. “I bloody hate the way Will looks at you and I hurt when you say you think you still love him.” He caught Merlin’s eyes with his own. “I can’t imagine what these things suggest other than I’m in love with you.” 

Merlin summoned up the courage to speak. “Even hives and bloody noses and all?”

Arthur smiled. “Yes. Hives and bloody noses and all.”

Merlin swallowed the lump in his throat. “So what are we going to do about it then?”

“Well, I don’t know what _we’re_ going to do about it,” Arthur said, taking two strides into Merlin. “But _I’m_ going to do this.” He placed a hand on the back of Merlin’s neck and pulled Merlin’s mouth to his.

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/thecheekydragon/pic/001xk051/)

The kiss was far more fantastic than anything Merlin had imagined. It made his head spin and his toes curl. And Merlin knew in that instant that he had found The One he was looking for.

“Oh boys!” Gwen gushed with girly delight, having just let herself into the flat.

Arthur pulled away, breaking the kiss. “Is she always like this?” he asked Merlin.

“Um, pretty much,” Merlin told him.

“Can we maybe go to your room for some privacy then?” Arthur asked.

“Oh, definitely,” Merlin said.

They both flashed smiles at a still beaming Gwen as Merlin led Arthur to his bedroom.

**

“And you still have the policy of no kissing or touching when you’re on a job?” Merlin asked him, as he smoothed over Arthur’s tie with his hand.

Arthur looked at him. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Merlin?”

“Uh-huh,” Merlin told him. 

“Because if it’s going to be a problem...”

“No problem,” Merlin said. Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Okay, sure, I’d rather you worked at the library stocking shelves in the basement instead of escorting women and men of all types to all kinds of places, but I can handle it.” He smiled lovingly at Arthur. “So long as there’s no kissing or touching or anything like that,” he added.

Arthur kissed him full on the mouth. “And so long as you promise not to get jealous every time I go out on a job,” he told him. “I’m always going to come back to you, Merlin.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

**


End file.
